Nikon D200 10.2MP Digital SLR Camera (Body Only) by Nikon
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Digital camera reviews of Nikon D200 10.2MP Digital SLR Camera (Body Only)
Digital camera Review: Cold Weather - Bring it on!
Summary: 5 Stars
I have owned my D200 now for just over 3 years and there are not enough good things I can say about it. I can go over every positive detail this camera features, but I am not going to do that since so many others have. I have taken well over 10,000 shots with it and it is still going strong and not once have I had an issue with it. The only time I get a bad shot is due to user error - which does happen sometimes. I have made prints up to 30"x40" and they look beautiful and sharp. That is partly due to the quality of Nikkor lenses which are just as high performance, refined and durable as the D200.
One thing I will say is that I live in Minnesota and it tends to get cold up here...I usually don't consider it `cold' until it hits -20 or below and we have many of those days each winter. At one time I did own a Canon, only because it was cheaper (go ahead and kick me for it, I did). Well, they are cheaper and cheaply made - plastic lens mounts on some of their cameras and many of their lenses...come on! Anyway, on not even cold days, 30 degrees or so, the camera would freeze up and that was with warm batteries. So it is not a battery issue but the actual camera body that would freeze up. Canons have so much plastic in them, it makes them lightweight, but not durable and definitely not for cold weather situations, in my opinion and experience they are junk compared to Nikons standards of refinement, durability and quality.
I am so happy with performance and durability of my D200 on any day or night and it does work well even on those `cold' days at -20 degrees or less. It's water resistant, so works well in rain and heavy fog (other times my Canon would fail on me). And durable; this thing is built like a tank and if anyone ever tries to take it from me, I'll just beat them over the head with it, than take a picture to prove it!
This is a beautiful piece of equipment and I will never go back to using cheap Canons or any other brand name for that matter. One of my personal mottos is, "You're not a pro, unless you use a Nikon".
Digital camera Review: Could be Better
Summary: 4 Stars
Don't get me wrong, this is a great camera, but it could have been so much more. Like many, I moved up from a D70, which is a spectacular camera with few shortcomings. One of those shortcomings was the ability to save custom settings. Well the D200 was supposed to solve that problem with 4 custom settings banks, and 4 more shooting menu banks. Why 2 sets of banks, you ask? Beats the hell out of me, and in my opinion, they're all pretty much worthless.
Take the custom settings banks. By my count there are about 56 different settings. So you go into Bank A and set all of them for your needs. If one of those settings is something you always use, you have to change it in each of the 4 banks separately. So, you've got your custom settings set up for Bank A and you start shooting. You need to change an option for a shot or two, so you scan through all the settings, find the one you want, and change it. Guess what! That's where it stays until you set it back. So what's the point really? And wouldn't it be nice if you could just see what you changed on a menu? Nope, you still have to go through ALL the settings every time, including the stupid ones that you'll never change in your lifetime. I could go on, but do you get my point? I use Auto-ISO all the time (the camera automatically raises ISO to achieve a desired shutter speed). But to turn it off and on, which I do frequently, I have to go through the menus to do so.
The D200 has 3 buttons conveniently located for easy checking or adjustment. Picture Quality, ISO, and White Balance. These are a great feature, and easy to use. So why have them as menu options, too?
On the positive side, the camera is solidly built. It's nice having the extra resolution (although Nikon's consumer level dSLR should have that by the time you read this). You can see the ISO in the viewfinder, very helpful. Focusing and exposure seem much more accurate than the D70. The screen is large and easy to view. Battery life remaining is much easier to determine, but battery life itself is pitifully short (I guess that big screen and those VR lenses help drain the battery). With the D70, I could always feel confident that I could get in a full days shooting on a charge. Not so with the D200. One more thing is remote shutter release. The D70 had a great little IR remote which set you back <$20. Try to accomplish the same on the D200 and it'll cost you almost $200. Just a simple cable release is about $35 if I remember correctly. Why?
In summery, this is a great camera, which coupled with an 18-200 lens, will give you a package that will rival any for picture quality and convenience at an acceptable price. But, it could be better...
Digital camera Review: Credible digital for the serious amateur
Summary: 5 Stars
I just had the opportunity to use 2 nikon D200 cameras on a trip to Antarctica. All I can say is "wow"! I have been hesitant to make the move to digital due to the relatively low resolutions of the early amateur digital SLRs. The specs for the D200 caught my eye. Of particular interest were the 10.2 MP resolution, the magnesium body and the enhanced environmental sealing. In fairly adverse conditions the cameras performed flawlessly. Particularly notable were their ability to work in cold conditions, something I was concerned about at the beginning of the trip. While other people's cameras were having battery issues in the cold, the D200 kept shoothing. The camera handles very well and is easy to shoot with. There is a bit of a learning curve to understand all the custom settings and menus. The good news is that most of the controls build off of familiar Nikon concepts so they are not hard to pick up. The output of the camera is amazing and while I have not had the chance to review my shots on anything but a laptop, the early returns are very positive. The new autofocus system is quite good, though one of my few complaints is that it sometimes seemed balky with certain subjects. I am willing to write this off as perhaps my not have a full understanding of the various focusing modes, but time will tell. The monitor on the camera is really good and viewable in bright light. Being able to shoot at 5 fps was nice when trying to shoot diving humpback whales. In this case the DX size sensor comes in handy, extending effective focal length by 1.5 the 35mm equivalent. With wide angle the DX is a little more frustating and I see a new lens in my future. I am very happy with the D200. I think Nikon is feeling some heat from Canon and had to come up with an offering that upped the ante on the price performance curve. The D200 looks like they got a lot of it right.Digital camera Review: D200
Summary: 5 Stars
Great camera -- I don't have any comments that can better describe numerous glowing reviews about features, qualities, and other benefits associated with the D200.Digital camera Review: D200 - robust design, great pictures!
Summary: 5 Stars
I'm not going to write too much about the photographic aspects of this camera - it looks like it's covered abundantly, and suffice to say the camera is probably beyond the capabilities of most of its owners (myself included). It capable of taking great pictures, suffice to say.
I'm writing partly in response a comment further down about an individual that was experiencing problems with the sensor, and partly thanks to an episode of Survivor Man (oddly enough, I know).
I noticed on the Amazon episode of Survivor Man that Les was experiencing difficulties keeping his camera gear dry and working. I returned from the Amazon Rainforest myself just this past July, having spent two weeks in the jungles of Peru with my D200.
I was very pleased with it's operation - never once did I experience a problem, in fact. Paired with the 28-70 f/2.8, I took the camera on a small canoe on the Amazon itself and into the rainforest for extended amounts of time. I took pictures with it on a tripod while a tropical storm poured down from overhead, and I had it in the hot midday sun where the lens became hot to the touch. Again, regardless of the environment I had it in, never once did it even hiccup.
Anyway, I thought I could offer a testament to its extreme durability. Part of my interest when purchasing a DSLR was to have a strong, weather-proof design, and the D200 shined admirably.